Vintage Computing Collection

Bill Gates - "Microsoft has had clear competitors in the past. It’s a good thing we have museums to document that."[Infoworld, October 1, 2004]

The purpose of this collection is to document some unique items that have been used over the years. Some of the items here have been used on various projects related to medical informatics or global health. As I have time, I'll try to document how the equipment was applied and which projects it was used on.

The Mattel Aquarius was targeted towards the home market. When it was released it was under-powered compared to other systems.It had a Zilog Z80 processor, 4K Ram and Microsoft Basic in ROM. The collection includes the CPU, Data Tape Recorder, 40 column printer and Mini Expander. Also, includes LOGO programming language.

Texas Instruments TI-58C Calculator

The TI-58c was an early programmable calculator from 1977. It had the ability to add storage "ROM Program Modules" (an insertable ROM chip, capable of holding 5000 program steps).

When the IBM PC first came out, the packaging of the user manual and software came in these cardboard boxes with a pull out 3-ring binder.

Yahama CX5M II Music Computer (1984)

Uses the MSX operating system which stands for "MicroSoft eXtreme". Used mainly in Japan, Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Have the manuals and several of the cartridges. Additionally have a TI Tape Recorder (missing power adapter).

IBM 7690 (1992)

The IBM 7690 is a clinical computer that folds into itself. It was designed for mounting on a wa

Strangely, there is little information on the internet about this product.

The NeXTcube was developed by Steve Jobs when he was forced out of Apple. When it was first released (1990-1993) it sold for $10,000. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the Operating System NeXTStep became the basis for The new Mac OS (which is currently still used today).

The Hyperion is an early portable computer that vied to be the first portable IBM PC compatible. It was a produced by the Canadian company Dynalogic in January 1983. The Hyperion was shipped in January 1983 at C$4995, two months ahead of the Compaq Portable.

Recent Addition - 5.25" Floppy Disks

20 boxes 3M DS, HD

6 boxes Verbetim MD 2HD

3 boxes Dysan 100 MD2HD

1 box BASF 2S/2D

1 box Platinum DS/HD

Tablets (Mobile Computing)One area of interest is around Tablets and their evolution from mobile computing. Even though the iPad sparked the adoption of tablets in a significant way, bringing other devices like the HP TouchPad, Android and the Microsoft Surface, other devices preceded this evolution. such as the Apple Newton and Microsoft Ultra Mobile PC .

In terms of healthcare, one interesting item was the Zenith CruisePad that was a tablet that essentially did remote control of a workstation (since it lacked the power to run its own applications on the device).

The Apple Newton was a device that we piloted in ~1994 as a way of collecting data in the ICU. Interestingly, Apple was developing "graphical icons" for the medical area at that time as well.

SD Card InterfacesOne thing that I find neat are the new SD card interfaces for old computers (Atari and Commodore). I had always wondered about the lifespan of 5.25" floppies. C64 are called SD2IEC; Atari 400/800 are called SIO2SD; Atari ST are called UltraSatan. I havn't located one for Apple II or the Amiga.

AtariMax.com - SIO2PC Universal RS232 (allows the Atari 800 to connect to a PC file system through RS232/USB

JBrain.com - uIEC/SD v3.1 (allows C64 to use a SD card)

SCSI to SD http://www.codesrc.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=SCSI2SD

Atari/ColecoVision/IntelliVision Flash Carts

Another innovative new creation are cartridges that can be programmed using a USB interface which allows them to be used in the original hardware (i.e. Atari 400 computer)http://www.atarimax.com/flashcart/documentation/

Two Macintosh Portables (with 1 case). Ran System 6.0.4 through System 7.5.5.Motorola 68000@16mhz.

IBM 5140 (1986)The IBM PC Convertible, released April 3, 1986, was IBM's first laptop computer and was also the first IBM computer to use the 3.5" floppy disk which went on to become the standard. Like modern laptops, it featured power management and the ability to run from batteries. It was the follow-up to the IBM Portable and was model number 5140.

AT&T Unix PC - this is an interesting computer as it ran Unix. The keyboards are "Hall effect" used in high reliable areas. I acquired 2 of these computers, documentation and disks, rare tape storage device and 2 additional keyboard/mice for spares.

DEC Multia Alpha - also known as the Universal Desktop Box since it could run a variety of OS including Windows NT, VMS, DEC TruUnix, BSD. I am hoping that with the Alpha processor it can run OpenGenera (Lisp OS).

MacBook (Black)

MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26, 13 inch (2009)

iBook G3

Clamshell Blueberry, M2453, OS 9.2, 160mb memory, 3gb HDD (1999)

NeXT Computer Inc

Next Computers was the company that Steve Jobs formed after being ousted from Apple Inc. The computer he created was the Next Cube and Nextstation which were both high end computer workstations. Apple later acquired Next computers for their Operating system which is the basis of the Mac OS X. When Apple acquired Next, this lead to Steve Jobs returning to Apple and recreating them.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXThttp://www.512pixels.net/blog/2011/11/next-the-hardware

Commodore International

Commodore Pet 2001-8The Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) is a home/personal computer produced in 1977 by Commodore International.[2] A top-seller in the Canadian and United States educational markets, it was Commodore's first full-featured computer, and formed the basis for their entire 8-bit product line.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET

DEC 3000 Alpha

AlphaStation 600 5/333

Alco Family, CPU 21164@333mhz, 32mb (1996)

note: case only

IBM

IBM 5150 (Personal Computer) (1981)Intel 8088 @ 4.77 MHz, 16KB, 5.25" floppy, 5mb Hard Drive, IBM Monitor and Keyboard (1981)The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer

IBM PC JR (1984)The IBM PCjr (read "PC junior") was IBM's first attempt to enter the home computer market. The PCjr, IBM model number 4860, retained the IBM PC's 8088 CPU and BIOS interface for compatibility, but various design and implementation decisions led the PCjr to be a commercial failure.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PCjr

IBM 5140 (PC Convertible) (1986)The IBM PC Convertible, released April 3, 1986, was IBM's first laptop computer and was also the first IBM computer to use the 3.5" floppy disk which went on to become the standard. Like modern laptops, it featured power management and the ability to run from batteries. It was the follow-up to the IBM Portable and was model number 5140. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PC_Convertible

IBM 7690 (1992) The IBM 7690 is a clinical computer that folds into itself. It was designed for mounting on a wall. Strangely, there is little information on the internet about this product.

Yahama CX5M II Music Computer

Coleco Adam ComputerThe Coleco Adam is a home computer, and expansion for the ColecoVision (port 3), released in 1983 by American toy manufacturer Coleco. It was an attempt to follow on the success of the company's ColecoVision video game console. The Adam was not very successful, partly because of early production problemshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Adam